Patterns of medical and developmental comorbidities among children presenting with feeding problems: a latent class analysis.

Objective: Children with feeding problems often have multiple co-occurring medical and developmental conditions; however, it is unknown whether patterns of comorbidity exist and whether they relate to important feeding-related health outcomes. The main objective of this study was to examine (1) the relationship between the number of medical and developmental comorbidities and important feeding-related health outcomes; (2) how various comorbidities interact and form empirically derived patterns; and (3) how empirically derived patterns of comorbidity relate to weight status, nutritional variety, and child and parent mealtime behavior problems.

Methods: The medical records of 286 children (mean age = 35.

Pain, disability, and symptoms among siblings of children with functional abdominal pain.

Objective: To examine reports of pain, disability, and somatic and psychological symptoms among siblings of children with functional abdominal pain (FAP) and siblings of "healthy" comparison children.

Methods: This survey study explored two groups of participants (FAP and healthy) consisting of (1) children with FAP and their siblings and parents and (2) healthy comparison children and their siblings, and parents. Participants included 13 FAP families and 10 healthy comparison families.

Latino sibling knowledge and adjustment to chronic disability.

Forty matched healthy Latino and non-Latino siblings (ages 8-14 years) of children with developmental and physical disabilities completed interviews and questionnaires assessing sibling knowledge of and adjustment to disability and sibling global psychological functioning. One-way analyses of variance revealed Latino siblings to have significantly less accurate information about the disability and more internalizing problems than non-Latino siblings. Sibling and parent wishes for the healthy sibling reflected cultural values.

Brief report: family-based group intervention for young siblings of children with chronic illness and developmental disability.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a family-based group intervention for young siblings of children with chronic illness and developmental disability (CI/DD).

Methods: Forty-three healthy siblings (ages 4-7 years) of children with CI/DD and their parents participated in an intervention designed to address sibling challenges that cut across types of diagnostic conditions. The intervention consisted of six sessions of collateral and integrated sibling-parent groups.

Integrated sibling-parent group intervention to improve sibling knowledge and adjustment to chronic illness and disability.

Objective: To evaluate an integrated group intervention for siblings and parents designed to increase sibling understanding of and adjustment to chronic illness and developmental disability (CI/DD).

Methods: Fifty-four well siblings (ages 8-13 years) and their parents were recruited through hospital-based and community agencies serving children with CI/DD. Measures of sibling knowledge, sibling adjustment to the disorder, sibling connectedness, and sibling global behavioral functioning were collected before and after the intervention.